Rapping priest and Catholic pilgrims party in Sydney
SYDNEY (Reuters) - A rapping priest from New York's Bronxentertained thousands of young pilgrims at Bondi Beach onWednesday, while acid jazz and Gregorian Chant filled Sydney'sOpera House on day two of the Catholic Church's "Woodstock".
More than 200,000 young Catholics in Sydney for World YouthDay, July 15-20, held 250 pray ceremonies in parks and streetsaround the city and attended music concerts, as they eagerlyawaited the first appearance of Pope Benedict on Thursday.
The Pope, who has been resting since arriving in Sydney onSunday, held morning mass in his retreat and was thenintroduced to an array of Australian animals.
After a brief description of each animal and its habitatthe pontiff patted the animals: a baby kangaroo called a joey,a koala, an echidna, a carpet python, a blue tongue lizard, afrill-neck lizard and a tiny crocodile.
World Youth Day was the brainchild of the late Pope JohnPaul II who thought a festival which included not only massesand religious events like the stations of the cross, but alsomusic and dance concerts would revitalise the world's Catholicyouth.
After 150,000 pilgrims attended WYD's opening mass and latenight rock concert on the shores of Sydney Harbour on Tuesday,thousands spread out across Sydney on Wednesday to not only topray but to continue partying.
"I went to bed late last night and didn't eat enoughbreakfast," said Australian pilgrim Sam Merryfull, 17, as herested on a wooden bench. A nun gave him fruit and water.
"The opening mass was great, so many cultures comingtogether," Merryfull told local media.
More than 165 outdoor concerts will be staged, fromreligious music to heavy metal, acid jazz and rap.
Some 3,000 pilgrims gathered at Bondi Beach on Wednesdayfor the "Come to the Water" concert organised by theFranciscans, with the headline act rapping priest Father StanFortuna.
On Wednesday night, Italian Christian heavy metal bandMetatrone were scheduled to perform in a city park.
But unlike Woodstock on Max Yasgur's farm outside New Yorkin 1969, pilgrims will not go hungry or sleep out in the rain.
Thousands of young Catholics, nuns and priests on Wednesdayattended "Aussie BBQs" in schools, churches and homes.
Organisers have prepared 3.5 million meals, 2 million breadrolls, 2.7 million cakes, 1.3 million pieces of fruit and 2.5million cans of mineral water for pilgrims.
With several masses to attend, 300 kg of flour has beenused to make one million Hosts, the wafer consecrated in thecelebration of the Eucharist.
Pilgrims will stage an all-night vigil on Saturday at thecity's main horse racing track ahead of the final mass by PopeBenedict on Sunday, but for most of WYD they will have a roofover their heads in case Sydney's winter turns nasty.
Around 100,000 are sleeping in 400 churches and schoolhalls, 40,000 in family homes, 10,000 in Sydney's Olympic Parkand the rest in paid accommodation.
On Thursday, Pope Benedict will meet Australian PrimeMinister Kevin Rudd before travelling by boat across SydneyHarbour to greet young pilgrims and then travel in hisPopemobile through the city's central business district.
Police have launched an Olympic-style security operationfor the papal visit, with 300 streets closed and more than 350"declared zones" where cars and people can be searched.
Sydney's main business thoroughfare, George Street, will beclosed to traffic all week, allowing thousands of hymn-singingpilgrims to wander through the city freely.
"The only car we want to see in the city tomorrow is aPopemobile," WYD spokeswoman Kristina Keneally told a newsconference. "So if your car is not a Popemobile leave it athome, the Pope wants to see you, not your car."
(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)